Just after the Norway cruise I ran off to Miami Beach for a few weeks! Yes, my life is so difficult. Actually Mr. Ferret was there for work and I joined him.

I’ve never fully appreciated how wonderful Florida is, but it is somewhere I intend to explore. I was even having fantasies of having a vacation condo there.

People say that that the Gulf Coast is even better than the Atlantic Coast. Any readers have recommendations?

Just returned from a cruise of the Norwegian fjords on the Silver Cloud and I have to tell you that this itinerary is spectacularly beautiful! Here is a sample to feast your eyes on as I recover from the flu and get my photos and review together:

If you have the chance to visit Norway, don’t hesitate — it is wonderful!

One of the best things about a cruise is the anticipation, and I’ve been doing some planning about what to take and what to wear. Since the cruise is with Silversea, some evening wear is in order:

Here is my latest purchase from Nordstrom.

I’m guessing that this should be appropriate for formal night on my first Silversea cruise.

What do you think?

(PS, this is a model, not your ferrety correspondent!)

Brenda and Gerald Moran can’t seem to have a nice cruise, yet they took 6 cruises in 3 years with the company that couldn’t please them.

Having concluded that we are unable to meet the expectations of the Morans, we have told them that they would be best served by sailing with another company.

They say that 10% of the customers create 90% of the work, and we are seeing more companies jettison customers who can’t be satisfied. I can’t help wonder why, with all the alternatives out there, the Morans continued to sail with a line on which they had so many problems.

What do you think? Were they scamming for perks and discounts on future cruises — (can a passenger be locked on a balcony for three hours without being able to shout for help?) — or have they been wronged?

Oh my, this is unfortunate.

I am very excited that Swan Hellenic is returning, but their revival cruise to the Norwegian fjords has been canceled due to engine problems. I can well imagine how terribly disappointing this is for the passengers. If they’re like me, they have been eagerly awaiting and anticipating their cruise for months and this must be such a let-down. My previous post about Swan Hellenic is here.

Swan is refunding the cost of the cruise and offering one third of the price paid to be used on a future vacation. I will update as further information becomes available.